Sheffield United could be without key defender Anel Ahmedhodzic for tomorrow's visit of Bristol City as the Bosnian international is preparing to welcome the birth of his first child.
The 24-year-old also missed the victory over Cardiff at the weekend as the Blades continued their push towards the Premier League with a convincing 4-1 victory. They head into the game at Bramall Lane five points clear in the automatic promotion race with a game advantage over Luton Town.
Ahmedhodzic has been a regular and influential figure under Paul Heckingbottom this season with 29 league starts and two substitute appearances. The manager confirmed he is in his plans to face the Robins, although with wife Marijana heavily pregnant, that could change depending on his personal situation.
Reported by the Sheffield Star, Heckingbottom said: "Anel’s trained today. We’ve got a plan of action together which we’re all happy with. He’s available and in the squad but it could change.
“We’ve put something together and we’re all happy. He’s comfortable that if we need to get news to him, we can. But if he’s involved, he’s fully focused on the game.”
Another player who could also miss out is long-standing defender Chris Basham who also missed their last outing with a back injury. The 34-year-old has featured 25 times in the Championship this season but hasn't started a game in over a month.
The Sheffield United manager added: "He’s better today. We’ll give him until the end of play tomorrow, as late as we can. He’s better today, but he could wake up again tomorrow and be the way he was the other day. We’re really happy with how it looks at the minute, and we’re not ruling him out yet.”
City manager Nigel Pearson has no fresh injury concerns to contend with and will welcome back Mark Sykes from his four-game suspension. The winger could return straight into the starting XI while Alex Scott is also likely to be named in the line-up after his impressive 30-minute cameo against Watford on his return from a knee injury.
Kal Naismith is pushing for his first start since early February following two substitute appearances after a calf problem but Tomas Kalas is unlikely to feature having only returned to training this week following a knee issue.
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